Saint Joseph Catholic Church

The Roman Martyrology commemorates on this date St. John Matera (also known as John Pulsano) (1070-1139). St. John was a native of Matera, Italy and in his childhood longed to become a hermit. As a young man, he worked for a time as a shepherd in the service of a monastery. His exceptional austerity, however, was so irksome to the less fervent monks that he soon had to leave. Thereafter he journeyed from place to place as he strove to carry out God's will for him. At one point, acting upon a vision of Saint Peter he had experienced, John rebuilt a dilapidated church dedicated to the saint. Later, he traveled to Bari, where he preached with great efficacy. Certain individuals, motivated perhaps by jealousy, attacked the popular preacher with false charges of heresy, but he was in the end totally cleared of their accusations. Eventually John founded a Benedictine monastery at Pulsano and became its first abbot.

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Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, announced that he is welcoming two priests of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) to establish a chaplaincy in his diocese.

The Fraternity, whose priests celebrate the sacraments in the extraordinary form of the Roman rite, are currently active in 39 U.S. dioceses. Mass is already celebrated in the extraordinary form at eight locations in the Diocese of Arlington.

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